History

Overview

The Master of Arts in history program serves as important preparation for the pursuit of a variety of career opportunities. The program also contributes to the personal enrichment of students, as well as lifelong learning skills and recognition of responsibilities as members of a society composed of many communities of memory.

Students gain crucial hands-on experience in museums and collections, documentary editing, digital history projects, and archival research, and they participate in internships and community-based projects throughout the St. Louis region.

Program Format

Courses are available in online, weekday, evening and weekend formats.

What can I do with a degree in history?

The master's in history serves as important preparation for the pursuit of a variety of career opportunities. Some students choose to pursue careers as history instructors, while others choose to pursue careers in other fields. According to PayScale Inc. as published in the Wall Street Journal, mid-career history graduates earn an average salary of $75,000.

SIUE graduate employment locations include:

National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Department of Defense in St. Louis
Johns Hopkins University
St. Louis Science Center
St. Louis Public Library
George Mason University

Some of our students go on to pursue PhD programs, and have most recently completed or are currently enrolled in programs at:

Kent State
University of New Hampshire
Georgetown
Yale
UCLA
University of Nebraska
Western Michigan
Indiana University
Rutgers University
University of Oklahoma
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Hands-on Learning

Students at SIUE have the opportunity to participate in internships and community-based projects while pursuing each of the programs offered. Past internship placements in the St. Louis metro area include:

Benjamin Stephenson House
The Gardens at SIUE
Cahokia Mounds
Missouri History Museum
National Archives and Records Center
National Park Service
St. Louis Zoo
St. Louis Science Center
Campbell House
Jefferson Barracks
St. Louis Court Archives
SIUE University Museum

Community-based projects include oral history projects at the Edwardsville Public Library and Granite City Lincoln Place Historical Society; Lewis and Clark Camp Dubois; Archives of the Archdiocese of Chicago; Maryville Historical Museum and Schmidt Art Center at SWIC. Practicums are offered as classes (HIST 582, HIST 590) and are available as an elective in all programs.